I'm very new to this. This will be my first home theater system. Cant afford a nice $2000 one so I've been looking at the home theater in a box options. Would like to spend around $500 or less. I was looking at these PANASONIC SC-PT960 PANASONIC SC-PT660 Onkyo HT-S5100 SONY HT-DDWG700 I have a directv hd receiver, PS2, and dvd player. I will upgrade to ps3 or blu ray later. The onkyo seems to be the only one with multiple HDMI inputs. Directv uses hdmi and so would a blu ray or ps3, so do I have to get the onkyo. I also like the wireless rear speakers but again that setup doesn't seem to have enough hdmi inputs. I dont want to lose even more quality by not going with hdmi. Five channel is also fine dont think I really need seven. Any suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks
I'd definitely go with the Onkyo. I don't like Panasonic at all, and Sony just lacks in these things. Sony makes good tvs and blu ray players, but receivers and HTIBs are another thing. The Onkyo has HDMI inputs, but they are pass through, so it does not handle the HD audio formats of blu ray movies, over HDMI. It does however have 7.1 multi-channel analog inputs. So, when you get a blu ray player, you'll need to make sure the player has 5.1/7.1 analog outputs, such as the Sony BDP-S550. Otherwise, you'll be SOL for the HD audio from blu ray.
What do you mean when you say "but they are pass through, so it does not handle the HD audio formats of blu ray movies, over HDMI". Does this mean I'll never be able to get hd audio w/ this receiver or that I'll have to use an optical cable? If I use an optical cable is there a big difference in quality? Please explain that statement thoroughly. I'm very new to all this. Thanks. again.
HDMI pass through is for video only. For years, people have used HDMI straight to the tv for video, and optical/digital coax to receiver for the surround sound. HDMI allows you to go through the receiver with video (for easier switching of sources). You still have to use a separate audio connection, for your surround sound. You can still use optical for audio, but it's not possible to get the HD audio formats from blu ray movie soundtracks (Dolby TrueHD or dtsHD Master Audio) from optical connection. All you'll get from that is regular Dolby Digital and regular DTS. Not getting the HD audio is missing half the purpose of having a blu ray player, to me anyway. As I said before, the Onkyo has the 7.1 analog inputs, so if you get a blu ray player, that decodes the HD audio internally, and passes them out over 5.1/7.1 analog outputs, you can still hear the HD audio. Some players won't pass dtsHD Master Audio over analog outputs, but will pass the Dolby TrueHD. Some players will pass both. You'll have to do some searching and research which ones will do both. The easiest thing is to get a receiver like the Onkyo TX-SR606, and a set of speakers and subwoofer. Then it won't matter what blu ray player you get, because the 606 will handle whatever you connect to it. The 606 is less than $400 at Amazon.com, but speakers with a sub will put you over the amount you'll spend on the HTIB. You could possibly find a set of speakers and sub at a local pawn shop fairly cheap. I'd at least get some decent bookshelf speakers, and not the tiny little speakers that normally come with HTIBs. Stay far away from Bose!
So if I get the onkyo 5100 as long as I buy a blu ray player with onboard Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding, I'll be able to get HD Audio from the blu ray player? It looks like this is the biggest difference between the 5100 and 6100 models.
One more time.......... The Sony BDP-S550 is supposed to send both HD formats over the 7.1 analog outputs, so it will be a good player for you.
